Australia, China, Catalonia, Italy, Move Here Move the World, Tax Reform, Uber, colette, Kobe
Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 20, 2017
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross
Caracal Business Insider = Global Business News at the Intersection of Politics + Policy + Profits.
Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia
What Caracal Global is watching today:
✔️ China v India
✔️ China v Australia
✔️ Catalonia votes again
✔️ Detroit's Amazon HQ2 bid revealed
✔️ colette, ‘trendiest store in the world’, bids adieu
GEOECONOMICS
India is unequal: The top 10% in India take home 55% of the country’s income.
China has India surrounded in their new Great Game: Nikkei reports, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan -- Beijing is pulling South Asia into its orbit. https://goo.gl/YsdDS8
Japan is building missile bases to confront rising threat from China: WSJ reports, Japan’s military is laying the groundwork for batteries of anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles in a quiet, sugar-cane-filled valley in its southwestern island chain, as it girds to confront what Tokyo views as its greatest long-term threat: China.
ABC: China's embassy in Canberra issues safety warning for Chinese nationals in Australia
China's embassy in Canberra has taken the rare step of issuing a public safety warning for Chinese students living in Australia due to "a rising number of insulting incidents".
NYT: Espionage bills in Australia stir fears of anti-Chinese backlash
"The Chinese government has been using proxies in Australia for years to polish its image and press for its priorities, including reunification with Taiwan and sovereignty over the South China Sea. These efforts have intensified under President Xi Jinping, who seems to view Australia — which has benefited greatly from trade with China — as a laboratory for efforts to sway opinion abroad and increase China’s global influence."
Twelve days in Xinjiang: How China’s surveillance state overwhelms daily life: WSJ reports, China’s government has turned the northwestern region into a laboratory for high-tech social controls. Citizens and visitors must run a daily gantlet of police checkpoints, surveillance cameras and machines scanning their ID cards, faces, eyeballs and sometimes entire bodies.
North Korean cyberheists fan fears amid bitcoin frenzy: Nikkei reports, US points to Pyongyang as the culprit behind WannaCry attacks.
Reuters: South Korean cryptocurrency exchange to file for bankruptcy after hacking
LAT: Spain's Catalonia region is set to pick a new parliament Thursday amid ongoing independence fight
Catalonia votes again, this time in a gamble to stall its secessionists: NYT reports, after Catalonia declared independence two months ago, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain took extraordinary control of the region and called elections, gambling that voters would punish the separatists who had propelled the nation’s worst constitutional crisis in decades. That election now comes Thursday, but far from solving the conflict, it could just as easily complicate the task of governing the first of Spain’s 19 regions to have its autonomy stripped, placing the country in uncharted political terrain.
Catalonia in turmoil: Bloomberg reports, while Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy sought to halt political chaos in Catalonia by forcing a snap election, the result of Thursday’s vote there may kick off a new phase of upheaval. With no clear winner and mutual resentment increasing, separatists from Edinburgh to Venice are watching closely.
Madrid believes Catalonia independence threat is over: FT reports, the Spanish national government still faces enormous difficulties in the region, analysts say.
Norway is to become the first Scandinavian country to decriminalize drugs as it focuses on treatment rather than punishment.
2020: The EU expects the U.K.’s post-Brexit transition period to last until the end of 2020 and is aiming for a trade deal to kick in immediately after that, according to a European Commission official.
Reuters: Full Brexit in Jan. 2021 as EU sets transition deadline
The EU wants a transition period after Brexit to end no later than the last day of 2020, according to the European Commission's negotiating directives agreed on Wednesday.
The Times: Theresa May plans new Brexit speech as ministers urge her to aim high
Trump's London visit still uncertain after call with May as tensions continue: Guardian reports, Theresa May spoke to Donald Trump on Tuesday about their country’s very different positions on Jerusalem, but it was left unclear whether previous damage to the relationship had been repaired – or whether the president would visit London in February to open the new US embassy.
The Daily Mail is reporting Trump plans to visit Britain in February to open the new US embassy in London but will not meet Queen Elizabeth.
Donald Trump’s first visit to UK ‘to be announced soon’: The Times reports, details of Trump’s first official visit to the UK will be announced soon, the White House has said. The statement from the US president’s office will strengthen expectations that Mr Trump will dedicate the new US Embassy in London in February. The “working visit”, which is not expected to include a meeting with the Queen, was proposed after controversy around the UK’s offer of a state visit in January.
How Italy turned Euroskeptic
Politico - Naomi O'Leary
"(New voters are) a member of an Italian generation that has known only economic stagnation, and which will head to the ballot box for the first time in a general election next spring. They were born around the same time as the euro — 1999 — and are now old enough to vote. They’ve seen nothing but political and economic crises since their childhoods, and politicians apparently unable to fix them."
Italy's share of world GDP (PPP):
1987: 4.28%
1997: 3.39%
2007: 2.64%
2017: 1.82%
Russia: say 2018, think 2024: To divert attention from growing economic frustrations, Putin in the coming six years must maintain popular belief in the “siege mentality” narrative – the idea of a salient threat from the West that seeks to destabilize Russia’s national security at any moment.
Control Risks - Emily Ferris
Canadian executives push Trudeau to join new US-free Trans-Pacific Partnership: BNN reports, more than a dozen top business leaders are telling Justin Trudeau it's time for Canada to immediately join the revamped Trans-Pacific Partnership that no longer includes the United States. An open letter to the prime minister from 18 chief executives comes after last month's decision by Canada to withhold support from what appeared to be a breakthrough agreement by the 11 remaining TPP countries to sign a newly-configured version of the Pacific Rim trade pact.
Globe and Mail: Ottawa to more than triple cannabis licenses to boost production
Trump is a gift to Trudeau. He makes Trudeau look good: Trump may be a blight on his country and a bane to civilized behavior, but for Trudeau, he could prove to be a considerable asset when the next election comes.
National Post - Kelly McParland
AMERICAN POLITICS
WSJ: GOP nears tax victory as bill passes in Senate
LAT: Congress prepares to deliver Trump's top legislative priority as Senate approves tax bill
The Senate passed the tax-overhaul bill, 51-48, putting Congress on the cusp of passing a $1.5 trillion tax cut and the largest structural overhaul of the tax system since 1986.
Trump hosting an all-cabinet meeting today at 11:30 am ET
The measure will return to the House for a final vote on this morning followed by a White House presser expected around 1:00 pm ET.
This is the best day of the Trump administration so far - he best enjoy this moment because 2018 is the year of the dog.
@CNBC: The big debate on Wall Street right now is whether to 'sell the news' on the tax cut rally
Every vote counts: A Democrat in Virginia defeated a Republican incumbent by a single vote — 11,608 to 11,607 — leaving the House of Delegates evenly split between the two parties.
8,500 firefighters = The number of firefighters who have battled the Thomas wildfire in Southern California — the largest mobilization to fight a wildfire in California's history. The effort has cost $130 million and forced 104,607 people to leave their homes.
ENTERPRISE
Detroit's Amazon HQ2 bid revealed: tax breaks, $120 million talent program, transit vision https://goo.gl/C4uENc
In the sales pitch to Amazon, a reimagined downtown Detroithttps://goo.gl/2pNDQg
Move here, move the world (video) https://goo.gl/xd2sM8
Microsoft's worldwide "advertising expense" for its fiscal year ending June 30 totaled $1.5 billion.
United Parcel Service said it is buying 125 Tesla all-electric semi-trucks.
Uber dealt a blow as EU court rules it is a transport firm: WSJ reports, Uber suffered a major defeat in its effort to overturn strict rules and licensing requirements in Europe, after the bloc’s highest court ruled the ride-hailing company should be regulated as a transportation service, rather than a digital service.
Uber is a taxi service, the ECJ says, in a major setback to the firm: NYT reports, the decision by the European Court of Justice found that Uber operates more like a transportation service than an online platform that matches passengers with drivers. It is likely to restrict the company from expanding services that allowed nonprofessional drivers to offer rides to clients.
TRENDS
Do’s and don’ts brand lessons from 2017: Pepsi, Ikea, Netflix, McDonald’s, Amazon’s Alexa, and others have served up hearty marketing tutorials throughout 2017. https://goo.gl/rjqAdq
QOTD: “You cannot buy attention. You have to earn it by being idea-first and not content-first.” --@ThamKhaiMeng, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Chief Creative Officer
CULTURE
Paris’s colette, ‘trendiest store in the world’, bids adieu after 20 years: AFP reports, located on rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement (district), right in the beating heart of Paris, colette -- the brand's name deliberately spelled in lowercase -- became a “must-visit” for anyone seeking to put their finger on the Parisian trend-setting pulse. It drew crowds from all over the world, including celebrities like Rihanna, Pharrell and Zlatan, who came to experience its unique universe of blending fashion, street art, beauty products, jewelry and high-tech gadgets under the same roof, not to mention its famous water bar which contains some 80 different varieties of the blue stuff.
SPORT
The Lakers have retired both of Kobe Bryant’s jerseys — No. 8 and No. 24.
Caracal Business Insider | December 19, 2017
Trump Doctrine, North Korea, Theresa May, Tax Overhaul, Sammy Hagar
Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 19, 2017
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross
Caracal Business Insider = Global Business News at the Intersection of Politics + Policy + Profits.
Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia
What Caracal Global is watching today:
✔️ Trump Doctrine - written report or speech given?
✔️ Congress poised to approve biggest tax overhaul in 30 years
✔️ Tories urge Theresa May to stay until 2021
✔️ Athleisure sales nearly topped $46 billion
✔️ Manchester City's plan for global domination
GEOECONOMICS
Trump’s worldview: Economic strength bolsters security: WSJ reports, declaring that “economic security is national security,” President Donald Trump aimed to reframe a national debate over his domestic economic and trade policies by thrusting them into a national-security context.
Trump delivers a mixed message on his national security approach: NYT reports, Trump presented a blueprint for the country’s national security on Monday that warns of a treacherous world in which the United States faces rising threats from an emboldened Russia and China, as well as from what it calls rogue governments, like North Korea and Iran. To fend off these multiple challenges, the report says with Cold War urgency, the government must put “America First,” fortifying its borders, ripping up unfair trade agreements and rebuilding its military might.
Trump’s China strategy: trade war or American game: FT reports, US president’s national security speech reveals priorities including tough action on trade.
It was a speech searching for a strategy full of boilerplate campaign rhetoric that will do little but antagonize and force others to reply in kind.
What is the Trump Doctrine - is it the written report or is it the speech given?
Trump's rivalry with China overlooks US economic reliance: Bloomberg reports, Trump is breaking with recent U.S. convention by portraying China as a rival that wants to undermine American prosperity. But it may take more than an aggressive tone to change the complex relationship between two economies that are joined at the hip.Under his America First approach to foreign policy, Trump says he will try to eliminate America’s $500-billion total trade deficit by insisting on “fair and reciprocal” commerce with other nations and strengthen the national security test for foreign investments.
A trade deficit is a useless vanity metric to measure the status of a trade relationship, business connection, or commerce supply chain. Useless.
BTW, assembly is the low-end of commerce compared to the high-end of R&D, marketing, and branding. Think about where you want your business or nation on the U-shaped curve of commerce.
A Tillerson slip offers a peek into secret planning on North Korea: NYT reports, Tillerson revealed that the Trump administration had already provided assurances to China’s leadership that if American forces landed in North Korea to search for and deactivate nuclear weapons, the troops would do their work and then retreat.
"In other words, the United States would essentially cede North Korean territory to the Chinese military, or let China and South Korea figure out who would control 46,500 square miles of territory and take care of its 25 million occupants, many of whom already do not have enough to eat."
WSJ: Alleged North Korea missile broker arrested in Australia
"Sydney man accused of trying to sell missiles and coal for North Korea"
US says North Korea was behind a cyberattack that infected computers in more than 150 countries: WP reports, the Trump administration urged nations to counter North Korea’s ability to conduct cyber attacks and to implement United Nations sanctions after the massive WannaCry attack earlier this year.
China unveils an ambitious plan to curb climate change emissions: NYT reports, China released plans on Tuesday to start a giant market to trade credits for the right to emit planet-warming greenhouse gases. The nationwide market would initially cover only China’s vast, state-dominated power generation sector, which produced almost half of the country’s emissions from the burning of fossil fuels last year.
China's trying to gain political influence abroad, and the West isn't happy: CNBC reports, Western countries are growing increasingly cautious of China's Communist Party. Officials in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Germany — major recipients of Chinese foreign direct investment — have been questioning the extent of Beijing's interference on their home turfs amid recent developments that suggest rising Chinese clout.
"Experts say China's Communist Party is using education, spying, political donations and people-to-people diplomacy to gain a greater say in decision-making within these countries."
#Duh
Sunlight v subversion - What to do about China’s “sharp power”: The Economist reports, China is manipulating decision-makers in Western democracies. The best defense is transparency. https://goo.gl/AY2VSL
At the sharp end - How China’s “sharp power” is muting criticism abroad: The Economist reports and stealthily trying to shape public opinion in its favor. https://goo.gl/Mm6ghe
Austria turns right: The thirty-one-year-old conservative Sebastian Kurz was sworn in as chancellor in Vienna on Monday after clinching a deal with the euro-skeptic Freedom Party.
May, please stay: After months of reports that she could be “gone by Christmas,” May is now being urged to hang around until 2021 to avoid a bloody internal battle before trade talks with the EU are complete, the Times reports.
The Times: Tories urge Theresa May to stay until 2021
Uber driver held in diplomat’s death: WSJ reports, a driver working for Uber in Lebanon was arrested for the killing of a British diplomat over the weekend, local security officials said.
French finance minister calls for bitcoin regulation debate at G20: Reuters reports, France will propose that the G20 group of major economies discuss regulation of the bitcoin virtual currency next year, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday. “I am going to propose to the next G20 president, Argentina, that at the G20 summit in April we have a discussion altogether on the question of bitcoin,” Le Maire told French news channel LCI.
Russia could cut off the internet to NATO countries, British military chief warns: NBC News reports, Russia could try to sever global underwater communications cables, potentially triggering catastrophic repercussions for the economy and way of life in the West, the head of Britain’s military has warned.
AMERICAN POLITICS
Reuters: Congress poised to approve biggest tax overhaul in 30 years
#TaxTuesday: The House is poised to approve GOP tax legislation this afternoon with plans to hold a vote around 1:30 pm ET. The Senate could vote as soon as late this afternoon or early Wednesday morning.
GOP Nos: Most of the House GOP dissenters are from high-tax states and are concerned that the bill’s $10,000 limit on individuals’ state and local tax deductions will raise taxes on their middle-class constituents.
Dana Rohrabacher of California will not back tax overhaul - smart local politics for a pol that has a monster fight on his hands to secure re-election.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine will back the tax overhaul.
Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Jill Stein campaign for possible ‘collusion with the Russians’: WP reports, the inclusion of the Green Party candidate suggests the committee’s probe is far from over, even as lawmakers worry that the House Intelligence Committee is racing to a close.
You knew this was only a matter of time.
ENTERPRISE
Bitcoin futures started trading on CME, the largest futures exchange in the world, on Sunday evening.
Samsung is preparing to combat the iPhone X with the Galaxy S9 to be launched this spring.
Will they search for that? Chinese learn the art of hooking Americans on Amazon: WSJ reports, an instructor named Uncle Sam teaches entrepreneurs how to cut out the middleman and sell directly to Americans.
How China’s luxury e-commerce market will evolve in 2018https://goo.gl/izzFnQ
TRENDS
Year in search 2017: See what was trending in 2017https://goo.gl/f2VZ4K
How retro sportswear reigned supreme in 2017https://goo.gl/Nj8j4h
The best piece of clothing I purchased this year was an Ocean Pacific (OP) windbreaker from the 80s.
Athleisure sales nearly topped $46 billion in 2016.
Gifts: Average holiday spending to top $900, highest in at least 12 years: CNBC survey
CULTURE
Work hard, play hard: Life lessons from Sammy Hagarhttps://goo.gl/qHj91X
Reporters Without Borders: At least 65 media workers killed doing their jobs in 2017
"Thirty-nine of those killed were targeted for their journalistic work such as reporting on political corruption or organized crime while the other 26 were killed while working due to shelling and bomb attacks"
SPORT
Manchester City's plan for global domination: Football has already been transformed by big money -- but the businessmen behind Man City are trying to build a global corporation that will change the game forever. https://goo.gl/HFeRGz
@CNBCnow: BREAKING: ESPN president and co-chairman of the Disney Media Networks John Skipper resigns citing "substance addiction"
Caracal Business Insider | December 18, 2017
Strategic Competitor, Cold War, Healthy Snacks, Mount Everest
Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 18, 2017
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross
Caracal Business Insider = Global Business News at the Intersection of Politics + Policy + Profits.
Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia
What Caracal Global is watching today:
✔️ Trump targets China and Russia on national security
✔️ Sebastián Piñera wins in Chile
✔️ Macron's 40th and French exceptionalism
✔️ Hershey to bet on healthy snacks
✔️ About 5,000 people have reached the top of Everest
GEOECONOMICS
FT: Trump to label China as a strategic ‘competitor’
"Beijing accused of pursuing policies of economic aggression to weaken US"
Trump’s national security focus shifts to Russia, China: WSJ reports, Trump will put his domestic economic and trade policies at the heart of a new national-security strategy that depicts the world as one of the heightened rivalries and potentially dangerous competition.
National security plan hints at return to Cold War footing: NYT reports, Trump’s first national security strategy, which envisions rivalries with China and Russia, is at odds with his often-warm relations with the leaders of those two countries.
New national security plan paints China and Russia as US competitors that want to realign global power in their interests: WP reports, Trump will present the strategy, which follows his “America First” doctrine, in a speech today. An official said the plan does not expressly “overturn” strategies of former president Barack Obama or his predecessors, but it frames Trump’s priorities differently.
Trump targets China and Russia on national security: Reuters reports, Trump will declare that China and Russia are competitors seeking to challenge U.S. power and erode its security and prosperity, in a national security strategy he will lay out today.
The speech will take place at 2:00 pm ET from the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
Five key facts about China’s economic conference: As the Communist Party’s leadership starts its annual economic work conference in Beijing, here are the main points to note. https://goo.gl/CEKJvk
Sebastián Piñera wins the presidential election in Chile: WSJ reports, the billionaire who had already served once as head of state cruised to victory, promising to reinvigorate the country’s flagging economy after four years of subpar growth.
Chile swings right to return Piñera to the presidency: FT reports, billionaire ex-leader joins Argentina’s Macri as another businessman-turned-president.
Honduran president declared winner, but OAS calls for new election: NYT reports, the Honduran electoral commission on Sunday declared President Juan Orlando Hernández the victor in a bitterly contested race, but the Organization of American States called for a new election, arguing that the vote was so riddled with irregularities that it was impossible to be sure of a winner. The electoral commission, which is controlled by allies of Mr. Hernández, said he had won by about 50,000 votes over the opposition candidate, Salvador Nasralla.
Macron appeals to French exceptionalism as 40th birthday looms: Bloomberg reports, “By choosing in May to elect a 39-year-old president, with no political party, that no one knew of, who came out of nowhere -- the choice our country has made -- that’s a choice that no other country has made,” he said late Sunday, directly invoking his youth within days of his 40th birthday. “France is only itself when it carries a real European vision and a real determination to pull the world towards the future.”
AMERICAN POLITICS
GOP faces a five-day sprint to pass its tax bill, forge a deal with Democrats to avoid a shutdown: WP reports, Republicans plan to vote on the tax bill early in the week, leaving them little time to strike a deal with Democrats to authorize funds to keep the government running.
Suburbs offer Democrats a path to House control: NYT reports, from Houston to Seattle, suburban districts once locked down by Republicans are looking to Democratic candidates to oppose President Trump.
If you a Republican MOC and there is a Whole Foods in your district - bye, Felicia.
The Thomas fire in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties has grown to be the third-largest wildfire in modern California history.
MAKE GLOBALIZATION SIMPLE
Marc A. Ross works with clients to develop executive education lectures, speeches, presentations, workshops, and conferences to help demystify Globalization, Disruption, and American politics. Learn more here.
ENTERPRISE
Tencent teams up with JD.com to take on Alibaba: WSJ reports, in an escalating battle between China’s dominant internet giants, Tencent has teamed up with JD.com, Alibaba’s main e-commerce competitor, to buy a stake in the No. 3 online retail player.
Hershey to buy Amplify Snack in $1.6 billion bet on healthy snacks.
Campbell Soup Co. will buy Pretzels and Cape Cod chips maker Snyder‘s-Lance Inc for $4.87 billion as it looks to expand its snack business amid sagging soup sales.
Toyota to market over 10 battery EV models in early 2020s: Reuters reports, Toyota Motor Corp said it would market more than 10 all-electric vehicle (EV) models globally in the early 2020s, a target which could require the firm to look beyond a partnership with Panasonic Corp to co-develop and supply batteries.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi'opens with $220 million box office weekend - the second best weekend all-time.
I saw the Darkest Hour this weekend and can report that Gary Oldman was sensational.
TRENDS
Hard questions: Is spending time on social media bad for us? Facebook says yes. http://bit.ly/2oEu5uH
Meet the ‘world’s only full-time hemp reporter’ https://goo.gl/NwYqKa
@wef: Robots could start to replace teachers as soon as 2027 http://wef.ch/2CyL2Zr
CULTURE
Mount Everest: About 5,000 people have reached the top of the mountain since the feat was first accomplished in 1953, and nearly 300 people have died in the attempt.
SPORT
The Carolina Panthers will be sold after their longtime owner, Jerry Richardson, was accused of what the team called “workplace misconduct.”
@cwordock: Diddy said he wants to buy the Carolina Panthers and sign Colin Kaepernick